Gharb (sometimes ''Rharb'', in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: "west") is a historical and geographical region in northern

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

. It is a great plain, an area of about six thousand square kilometers in central

, northeast of

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ) is the Capital (political), capital city of Morocco and the List of cities in Morocco, country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. ...

and northwest of

Meknes Meknes (, ) is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco, located in northern central Morocco and the sixth largest city by population in the kingdom. Founded in the 11th century by the Almoravid dynasty, Almoravids as a military settlement, Mekne ...

, bordered by the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

and the hills of pre-

Rif The Rif (, ), also called Rif Mountains, is a geographic region in northern Morocco. It is bordered on the north by the Mediterranean Sea and Spain and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, and is the homeland of the Rifians and the Jebala people ...

History

The Gharb was first inhabited by

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

tribes and potentially was part of the Barghawata Confederacy. However, with the rise of the

Almoravid The Almoravid dynasty () was a Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire that stretched over the western Maghreb and Al-Andalus, starting in the 1050s and lasting until its fall to the Almo ...

and

Almohad The Almohad Caliphate (; or or from ) or Almohad Empire was a North African Berber Muslim empire founded in the 12th century. At its height, it controlled much of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) and North Africa (the Maghreb). The Almohad ...

dynasties they were exterminated making the area uninhabitable. The Almohad ruler

Yaqub al-Mansur Abū Yūsuf Yaʿqūb ibn Yūsuf ibn Abd al-Muʾmin al-Manṣūr (; d. 23 January 1199), commonly known as Yaqub al-Mansur () or Moulay Yacoub (), was the third Almohad caliph. Succeeding his father, al-Mansur reigned from 1184 to 1199. His reig ...

settled

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

tribes of the

Riyah Riyah () is an Arab tribe and one of the most powerful sub-tribes of Banu Hilal, a confederation of Arabian tribes that emigrated from Najd to the Maghreb in the 11th century. At the time of the Arab migration to the Maghreb in the 11th century, th ...

belonging to the

Banu Hilal The Banu Hilal () was a confederation of Arab tribes from the Najd region of the central Arabian Peninsula that emigrated to the Maghreb region of North Africa in the 11th century. They ruled the Najd, and campaigned in the borderlands between I ...

in the Gharb and it has largely been inhabited by Arab tribes since. These tribes served the

Makhzen Makhzen (, , ) is the governing institution in Morocco and in pre-1957 Tunisia, centered on the monarch and consisting of royal notables, top-ranking military personnel, landowners, security service bosses, civil servants and other well-connected ...

until the end of the 19th century as military tribes and were nomadic and pastoral up until the French protectorate where the Gharb transformed into a prosperous agricultural district. Historically, the region was also known as Azghar. Historical author and diplomat

Leo Africanus Johannes Leo Africanus (born al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Wazzān al-Zayyātī al-Fasī, ; – ) was an Andalusi diplomat and author who is best known for his 1526 book '' Cosmographia et geographia de Affrica'', later publish ...

places Azghar under the Kingdom of Fez and writing about Azghar said:

Tribal composition

The Gharb is largely inhabited by tribes of Arab origin: * Beni Malik -

** Oulad Aissa ** Oulad Hammad ** Beni Bekkar ** Oulad 'Acem ** Ez-Z'heïr ** Oulad Zyan ** 'Aroua * -

Jusham The Banu Jusham () were a large sub-tribe in the Arabian Peninsula during the time of Mohammed. According to genealogists and various oral traditions, they are the descendants of Jusham ibn Muawiya ibn Bakr ibn Hawazin. Branches The main tribes ...

** Raouga ** Bhara/Bahan ** Menacera *

Khlout The Khlout () also written as Khlut, Khlot and historically known as Khult () is an Arab tribe belonging to the Jusham of the Banu Hilal confederacy in Morocco. They today inhabit the Gharb region along with other Arab tribes. History Originall ...

- Jusham * Tlig - Jusham *

Beni Ahsen The Beni Ahsen () sometimes referred to as the Beni Hassan () is a Morocco, Moroccan Arab tribe belonging to the bigger Maqil tribe located in the region surrounding Rabat. History The tribe settled in Morocco in the 12th century. Around the 1 ...

Maqil The Banu Ma'qil () is an Arab nomadic tribe that originated in South Arabia. The tribe emigrated to the Maghreb region of North Africa with the Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym tribes in the 11th century. They mainly settled in and around the Saharan ...

** Amamra * Oulad Khalifa - Shurfa * El-Hadjaoua - Arab originally from

Hejaz Hejaz is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Al Bahah, Al-B ...

or potentially

* Bdaoua - Arab originally from Hejaz * Chléat -

Shilha Shilha (from Colloquial Arabic ''Šəlḥa'') is a term used to refer to a number of Berber languages spoken across northern Africa. In international usage, it most commonly refers to Shilha language, Tashelhiyt (Tašlḥiyt), the language of the Sh ...

from the

Sous The Sous region (also spelt Sus, Suss, Souss or Sousse) (, ) is a historical, cultural and geographical region of Morocco, which constitutes part of the region administration of Souss-Massa and Guelmim-Oued Noun. The region is known for the en ...

* El-Ferakcha-El-Chkakfa - Arab * El-Harakta-El Neghamcha - Arab * Doukkala - A group of Arabs originally from

Doukkala Doukkala (, ) is a natural region of Morocco made of fertile plains and forests. Nowadays it is part of the Casablanca-Settat administrative region. It is a plain stretching from the Atlantic Ocean south of Sidi Rahal Chatai up to some 50 ...

* Oulad Sidi Omar el-Hadi * Aouf - Arab

References

{{Reflist Regions of Morocco Geography of Morocco

History

Tribal composition

See also

References